Politicians condemn Gurdaspur terror attack

New Delhi :The Punjab attack on Monday raised a furore among the locals and politicians who demanded an answer from Centre and state government. Several personalities condemned the act and prayed for the survivors.

Let us take a look at some of the reactions:

Sukhbir Badal

Condeming the terror attack in Gurdaspur, Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal today said all measures will be taken to maintain law and order and the safety of people in the state.

Badal, who is on a visit to Poland starting today, asked people to remain calm and maintain peace and harmony in the state, an official release said here.

He is closely monitoring the situation and has asked the state police chief to personally visit the spot of the attack at Dina Nagar.

Badal said that civil and police administration of Gurdaspur district have also been issued directions to take appropriate steps to safeguard the life of people of the area.

Strongly condemning the ghastly attack on police and innocent people, Badal said the hard earned communal harmony would be maintained at any cost in the state.

He said an alert has also been sounded along the International Border.

The deputy chief minister also expressed sympathy with the bereaved families and assured that state government would provide free medical treatment to the injured.

Notably, Sukhbir Singh Badal is on an investment promotion trip to Poland and Hungary for five days beginning today.

“We are with the people of Punjab and hope that culprits would soon be nabbed,” Kejriwal added.

Punjab Congress

Claiming that Punjab is once again under “terrorist threat”, state Congress chief Pratap Singh Bajwa said today’s terror attack in Gurdaspur district should serve as a wake-up call for both the Centre and the state governments.

“The state already has a history of terrorism. Punjab has passed through the dark days earlier. Today’s incident is very serious. Punjab once again is under terrorist threat, for sure. The governments at the Centre and in the state will have to take a very serious view of this,” Bajwa told PTI.

The former Gurdaspur MP claimed that the “Khalistani elements are again trying to regroup”.

“What has been reported in the press is that such elements in Pakistan are also under pressure by their agencies over there to go into Punjab and create trouble,” he said.

“This should also be seen as a coordinated effort between Jammu and Kashmir outfits and Khalistani elements to show their presence once again in Punjab,” he claimed, adding, “So, the Government of India will have to take a very serious view of this incident.”

Continuing further, he claimed, “It could again be a revival of terrorist activities in Punjab…what I feel there is a close coordination between J-K radicals and Khalistani elements.”

“There are group of Khalistanis who are under training in Pakistan for the last couple of years. They were under a lot of pressure to cross the border and create trouble in Punjab,” he claimed.

Bajwa said in Punjab, former radicals, Khalistani elements have again started to raise their heads.

“Yesterday, pro-Khalistan slogans were raised at a function in Patiala where Chief Minister was attending,” he said. He also suggested CM Badal not to “follow appeasement policy towards fundamentalist elements”.

“Punjab has passed through dark days of terrorism and Punjabis have suffered a lot…,” he said.

Rajnath Singh

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh here today expressed confidence about the ongoing operation against the terrorists in Gurdaspur district of Punjab and said that the situation is under control.

“I am confident about the operation which is underway and the situation is under control,” the home minister told reporters at the airport here before heading for Neemuch to attend the CRPF Raising Day Function.

Singh said he had spoken to Punjab Chief Minister Prakash Singh Badal, the National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, Director General of BSF and Union Home Secretary L C Goyal.

The home minister, however, refused to give details of casualties.

“I have also instructed BSF to enhance vigil along the entire international border,” he said, before leaving for Neemuch with Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.

When asked by a reporter whether the attack could be a reaction to the capital punishment awarded to Yakub Memon in 1993 Mumbai blasts case or it was a case of cross-border terrorism, Singh refused to comment. “The operation is going on and I won’t say anything more than this at present,” he said.